CHATBOT Act
United States- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Became Law
Would make AI chatbot apps tie under-13 accounts to a parent account and get parental consent for teens. It leans on age checks and stores kids' chats for parents to read.
Latest update
Reported by committee
This bill is still moving
This bill is still moving, so there's still time to push back.
Contact LawmakersWhat it does
S.4407 would require apps whose main function is an AI chatbot to link under-13 accounts to a parent-managed family account and to get verified parental consent before teens aged 13 to 17 create accounts. Family accounts would get controls: time limits, notifications off, blocked payments, control of the AI's memory, and access to the full chat history. It would ban targeted ads to minors. The FTC and state attorneys general would enforce it, and following COPPA would count as compliance.
Why it matters
Like the others, it says it does not require age verification. But its "knowledge" standard and the COPPA consent methods push platforms to check ages. The EFF warns it forces platforms to keep a permanent, central record of teens' AI conversations for parents to read, which is a target for hackers and identity thieves, and that it forces one parenting model on every family.
Our take
Age checks by another name, plus a new honeypot. It forces platforms to keep a central record of teens' private AI chats for parents, which is a target for hackers and thieves. It also forces one parenting model on every family.
Timeline
Reported by committee
LatestIntroduced
Referred to committee
Sponsor
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Cosponsors (3)
Brian Schatz (D-HI), John Curtis (R-UT), Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Committee
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee